Quartz countertops in Ann Arbor kitchens are the easiest stone to plan around, because the color runs evenly through every slab. That evenness lets a seam sit almost anywhere without a visible break in the pattern. Quartz never needs sealing, but its resin can mark under a pan straight off the burner.
Countertop Installation in Ann Arbor, MI
Countertops measured, cut & set by one team
Countertop installation in Ann Arbor follows a fixed order. The base cabinets go in first, the stone is measured on them, and only then is it cut and set. Each step waits on the one before it, so a slip anywhere moves your install date.
Older Ann Arbor kitchens add a few problems of their own. In a Burns Park or Old West Side house, the walls a counter meets are rarely straight, and an old tile backsplash tends to pull some plaster with it when it comes off.
At Cabinet IQ of Ann Arbor, the team that designs and sets your cabinets also templates, fabricates and installs your countertops in house. You choose your slab at our Jackson Road showroom and follow one schedule from the first drawing to the last seam.
Countertop installation by material & project
For countertop installation, Ann Arbor kitchens differ more by material than by method. Every material is cut, joined and cared for a little differently, and that changes what we plan for on template day.
Granite and quartzite are natural stone, so no two slabs look alike, and the slab you approve is the one we cut. Quartzite is the harder of the two and often has the soft veining people want from marble. Both need a sealer kept in good shape.
In a full remodel, the countertop date depends on everything before it, from demolition to the last cabinet being leveled. Planning the cabinets and the stone together means the door, the slab and the schedule are settled in the same conversation.
How countertop installation works with us
From the slab you fall for to the final walkthrough, every countertop project goes through five steps.
Start with a free design consultation, then compare full slabs at our Jackson Road showroom with your cabinet door sample in hand. A full slab shows how the pattern moves across a whole run, which a small sample can't.
Look at your favorites in daylight and under warm light, since most kitchen lighting runs warmer than a window. If a dramatic veined stone is on your list, modern kitchen ideas show how one bold slab can carry a quiet room.
We template your countertops on site once the base cabinets are set and level. Every run, opening and overhang is measured, and each seam is marked where it will be least noticed.
Erin and Mike Penn, who own Cabinet IQ of Ann Arbor, come from building, flipping and full-scale renovations, and older walls are familiar ground. Stone can't be shaved to follow a bowed wall the way wood can, so the template records the wall as it is and the backsplash covers the small gap that remains.
Your template is laid out on the slab before any cut, so we can decide where the veining falls and which part of the stone lands on the island. The edges are then shaped and polished, and the sink and cooktop openings are cut to the exact models you picked.
Tell us right away if your sink, faucet or cooktop changes after template day. Once an opening is cut, it can't be made smaller.
Our crew carries the countertops in, sets them on the cabinets and joins the seams flush. Many Old West Side homes have no garage, so mention porch steps, a narrow side yard or a tight turn into the kitchen ahead of time.
In a Michigan winter, clear snow and ice from the path to the door the night before, and keep the house at its usual temperature. Seam adhesive and silicone cure slowly in a cold room.
Before we leave, we check every seam and the line where the counter meets the wall with you. Look down the length of each run as well as across it, since a seam that disappears from the front can catch the light from the side.
Keep heavy appliances and stacks of dishes off the new seams for the first day. You'll get care notes for your material before the crew heads out.
Countertop installation in Ann Arbor homes
The steps stay the same across Ann Arbor, but the house decides what needs extra planning. Four situations come up again and again:
| Your kitchen | What to plan for |
|---|---|
| A Burns Park or Old West Side home | Walls bow and corners drift off square, so the template follows them exactly and the backsplash hides what stone can't. |
| An old tile backsplash coming off | The wall behind it often needs patching before new tile goes up, so budget for drywall or plaster repair. |
| A long island in a newer home | A slab only runs so far, so seam placement or a waterfall end is decided at the template, not on install day. |
| A condo near downtown or campus | The elevator size and the building's delivery rules decide how the stone gets upstairs, so check with the association early. |
If your plans include a long island, bring them to the template visit. Where the seam falls, how far the seating overhang reaches and whether the stone wraps down the ends are all decided before the slab is cut.
Caring for your new countertops
Warm water and a little dish soap handle daily cleaning on every material we install. Beyond that, each one has its own habits:
- Quartz: keep a trivet beside the range, because resin can mark under a hot pan
- Granite and quartzite: renew the sealer when water stops beading on the surface
- Porcelain: watch the edges, since a thin edge chips more easily than the flat top
- Every material: cut on a board, and save bleach and vinegar sprays for other surfaces
If a mark appears that soap won't lift, call us before trying a stronger cleaner, since the fix depends on the stone.
What's included in your countertop installation
Your project covers the template visit, cutting and finishing in house, the install and the walkthrough, all by our own team. It starts with a free design consultation and a 3D rendering of your kitchen with the stone in place. We work in quartz, granite, quartzite and porcelain rather than laminate, and sinks come from your own supplier.
Still choosing a material?
Each countertop material we install handles heat, stains and daily wear in its own way. Holding your top two choices side by side, next to your cabinet door, usually makes the decision for you.
View kitchen ideasCountertop installation near Ann Arbor
We install kitchen countertops in Ann Arbor and across Washtenaw County, and in these nearby towns:
Brighton, Chelsea, Dexter, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Fenton, Howell, Milford, Northville, Novi, Plymouth, Saline, South Lyon, Walled Lake.
Frequently asked questions
Material, square footage, edge profile and the number of cutouts set the price. If the counters are part of a bigger project, the kitchen remodel cost calculator gives a starting range for the whole kitchen.
No. We install quartz, granite, quartzite and porcelain. If laminate fits your budget better, a home center or laminate fabricator is the better match for that project.
Yes. A full-height backsplash in the same stone uses more of the slab, so decide before template day. It also removes grout lines behind the range, which makes cleanup easier.
Dishwasher brackets can't screw into stone the way they do into laminate. The dishwasher fastens to the cabinets on either side instead, so tell us your model before installation.
Yes. A vanity top can come from the same stone as your kitchen counters when both are planned before cutting, which keeps the material consistent from room to room.